Mom Jumps from Burning Building, Saves Toddler's Life

[Christina] Simoes first noticed smoke while lying in bed with her son, Cameron. Then she saw the flames less than 10 feet away. Realizing they were trapped in the apartment, she ran to the window and jumped three stories with the toddler, according to ABC News. She cushioned him from the fall by holding him tightly in her arms.

"I just knew we were either going to die or we were going to get out of there," Simoes told ABC.

Once they hit the ground, she told her son to run as debris fell around them.

While Cameron remained unscathed, his mom suffered a serious vertebrae injury and is currently unable to walk. She told CBS that she might not be able to walk again.

Still, she didn't regret the decision to jump. "All I was thinking about was getting him out of there. He mattered way more than I did," she said.

Simoes needed surgery and faced 10 days in the hospital before entering rehab.

But with the story of her selfless act spreading, she may receive help with the medical bills. Jessica Mortensen, a friend of Simoes, created a GoFundMe crowd-sourcing page to pay expenses for the brave mom.